It is a common known fact that human body needs a balanced diet to maintain proper health. Diet should ensure that body gets the adequate dosage of micro / macro nutrients as per its requirements. Any imbalance in the same leads to nutritional deficiency and may cause various health related complications which could be as common as anemia caused by iron deficiency to as severe as night blindness caused by vitamin A deficiency.

Dieting is a practice of consuming proper balanced diet in a regulated fashion which should be done under the guidance of a nutrition professional or practicing dietician. But the term dieting has always been misconceived as ‘a set of restrictions for quick weight loss’

There are various styles of diets that can be followed to achieve ones goals. Some of the famous types of diet are as follows:

Belief-based diets-e.g.: Buddhist diet, Kosher diet

Preference based diets-e.g.: Vegetarian diet, Vegan diet

Weight gain/loss diets-e.g.: Low calorie diet, Low fat diet

Crash diets/ Fad diets-e.g.: Cabbage soup diet, Blood type diet

Detox diets-e.g: Juice fasting diet, Salad diet

Therapeutic diets-e.g.: DASH diet, Diabetic diet

Above mentioned diets are to be followed under proper guidance and supervision of a dietician. Careful planning is a must as these diets have different purposes and continuing on one type of diet for a long duration might lead to nutrient deficiency in the body. But there are certain blunders which are being made under the name of dieting that lead to many detrimental effects.

Along with the issues associated with Dieting one must also remember that is the individual who has to ensure that he follows what has been prescribed to him / her by the dietician. A dietician can only suggest. Following are some of the known causes for failure of dieting.

Willpower – Failure to stick on to the restrictions required or too much of restrictions followed

Attitude – Dieting requires proper attitude, because improper adherence and deviation from a diet plan would turn it into a failure and also deter person to diet again in near future.

Variety in Food / Monotonous Food – Inability to get accustomed to the type of food which is to be consumed

Psychological stress – To cope up with the stress associated with weight loss and changes in the body requires continuous counseling from a dietician

Inability to schedule time for meal planning, shopping and preparation

Wrong attitude of the one who is dieting like ‘this to lose x number of Kilos’

Food is the primary necessity in a person’s life and eating a nutritious food in proper limits and time is equally important. Adeline Virginia Woolf, a famous English writer, in her quote “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well”, has cited the predominant importance of food, its ability to improve the efficiency of our thought process, to induce sound sleep and even to have a good love life.

Eating well doesn’t mean to eat non-nutritious food in more than required quantities. Adequate intake of healthy foods, in proper timings helps you to lead a hale and healthy life.

A good, nutritious food is capable of provoking positive thinking and thereby ensures psychological well-being. Such good eating practices help to get rid of the negative thoughts completely. Following are few foods which are capable of having a good impact on your brain health.

Proper brain health and psychological wellness guarantees sound sleep and joyous love life. Shallow and disturbed sleep makes the complete schedule of the day ruined since your brain would have not got proper rest. A person who starves is sure not to have a good sleep and thereby every single aspect related to his psychological wellness gets disturbed. Scroll down for few tips to alleviate sleep deprivation.

Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day.

Sleep in a well ventilated and dark room.

See a pleasure-giving/delightful thing before you sleep and when you wake up.

Refrain from exhaustive and severe stress involved work before going to bed.

Engage in regular physical activity.

Limit or avoid alcohol or caffeine.

Let the dinner be as light as possible and starch-based.

Finish your dinner at least one to two hours before going to bed.

Do not have beverages like tea, coffee etc after six in the evening.

Drink plenty of fluids during the day, but stop drinking one to two hours before bed.

Hence, it obviously means that eating well helps to think, love and sleep well and helps you to stay healthy throughout your life. EAT WELL, LIVE WELL!

A lot of my patients who come for diet for hair loss treatment keep asking me which shampoo should I use or how should I comb my hair or should I use perming and hair colours. After collating all the questions I thought it would be good to share my thoughts on the blog for the benefit of all:

Washing – Hair Should be washed with cold to luke warm water. Remember too hot water is not good for hair as it can damage hair and also irritate scalp. People can follow some standard guidelines for washing hair
a) For dry hair – 2 times a week
b) For Normal hair – 3 times a week
c) For oily hair – 7 times a week

Which Shampoo to use?

The optimum pH balance of scalp has been calculated as 6.5. Accordingly a mild shampoo with pH balance of 6.5 sould be used. Harsh shampoos can damage strands.

How to Shampoo ?
Wet hair and scalp with water. Best method is to start using shampoo with the scalp and roots of hair and then gently massage down to the ends of the haor. Gently run fingers through the hair to make sure that the shampoo is evenly distributed, especially if you have thick hair. Wait for 2-3 minutes and then rinse the shampoo with fre flowing water. Females generally end up squeezing their hair – this should be avoided as wet hair are fragile and weak and will get damaged easily.

Is Conditioner required after shampooing ?
Conditioner is recommended after shampooing to replace moisture that has been lost while cleaning of hair. It serves as a source of protein which attaches to the hair thereby protecting hair strands from breakage while aiding detangling and manageability. Conditioner should be applied in the same manner as the shampoo and one needs to wait for 2-3 minutes before rinsing it off.

Drying – Is Blow dry recommended ?
Hair should be allowed to dry naturally. Avoid blow drying. A hair dryer releases gusts at high temperature (~300C) that can cause hair to break. In case you want to still go ahead and use the dryer hold it more than 6 inches away from your hair when using it and use it low to medium heat.

Rubbing with Towel
Vigourous rubbing of hair should be avoided as it weakens the hair roots and aggravates hair loss.

Type of Comb – Comb should be wide toothed. Hair brushes should be avoided as it has a larger surface area which can fracture hair shaft. Never comb wet hair as hair is elastic when moist and can reach its breaking point.

Hairstyles – A hairstyle that puts pressue on the hair like tight ponytails can cause damage to the hair. One should also keep changing ones hairstyle often to avoid damage to one section of hair.

Oiling – Hair oil acts as a moisturizer for the hair and scalp. It is advisable to apply at night and shampoo the next morning. Avoid excessive oil application and keeping oil on for longer than overnight as it attracts dust and grime.

Colouring – Hair colour contains alkaline chemicals such as ammonia, hydrogen peroxide etc that can penetrate and damage the hair. In case one wants to colour hair – ammonia free hair colour should be used which is less damaging.

Hair Treatment – Chemical treatments for perming, ironing, crimping and straightening should be avoided as they damage the hair strands.

Barley Grass Powder is known to have anti-bacterial properties and thus help in protecting against infection. It is very similar in structure to haemoglobin, and can help recovery from anaemia It reduces blood sugar tissues, so can help with diabetes and weight loss. It is also known to neutralize toxins in the body, making it an effective element in detoxification programs

Numerous benefits have been reported by those who consume barley grass regularly. Scientific research at present lags behind what people are discovering for themselves. While exaggerated claims should be treated with caution, the impressive list of illnesses that show improvement when people add barley grass to their diet make it well worth considering if you suffer from any of following conditions: